Rugby World Cup 2019

After the success of its inaugural tournament back in 1987, the Rugby Union World Cup is now considered one of the most important sporting tournaments in the world. Held every four years, the Rugby World Cup is contested by 20 nations who are put in four groups of five teams each.

The winner of the tournament is awarded the Webb Ellis trophy. The most successful World Cup nation is New Zealand, who have won three tournaments, followed by South Africa and Australia, who have won two tournaments each. England have won one tournament.

The 2019 Rugby World Cup, the ninth in the competition’s history, will be held in Japan between the 20th of September and the 2nd of November, and will be the first time that the tournament has ever been held in Asia. The final will be played at the Yokohama Stadium in Kanagawa.

The remaining eight teams have to qualify trough a series of regional playoffs and tournaments. For more information on the qualification process, teams and fixtures for the tournament, head over to our 2019 Rugby World Cup draw page.

The 2019 Rugby World Cup draw is the first step towards the big dance in Japan as teams look to build and prepare for who they could be coming up against and how it will impact their campaign. Catch all the live draw updates and results from 6pm (AEST) on The Roar.

As we wait for an official statement to emerge from the SANZAAR powwow in London, I thought it would be a nice change of pace to deviate from the apparent obsessive focus on our tier-one problems and ponder an interesting article I read about T2 rugby and beyond.

Prior to the 2011 edition of the Rugby World Cup, there was chat that the game’s showpiece event should be reduced down to 16 teams to save putting the ‘minnows’ to slaughter while tightening up the competitiveness of all games.

The Pulse

Recent Rugby-Union Articles

A lot can change in a couple of months. The All Blacks’ drawn series against the British and Irish Lions already seems like a distant memory, and normal service has been resumed with something of a vengeance in the Rugby Championship.

In the aftermath of the ARU’s decision to ‘discontinue’ the Western Force from Super Rugby, and Andrew Forrest’s promise to establish an Indo-Pacific rugby competition while also supporting the NRC, concerns have been raised.